Dual-Mode Energy Harvesting Wireless Power Receiver Apparatus With Self-Reviving Capabilities

ABSTRACT

Dual-mode active/passive wireless power receiver clients, and associated systems, methods and computer readable media. A system includes means for determining whether or not a radio frequency (RF) field at an antenna meets an ambient threshold in a wireless power delivery environment. The system also includes means for receiving wireless power from a wireless power source in the wireless power delivery environment when the RF field meets or exceeds the ambient threshold. The system further includes means for harvesting ambient energy from the wireless power delivery environment when the RF field is below the ambient threshold.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/238,463 filed on Apr. 23, 2021, now allowed; which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/942,781 filed on Apr. 2, 2018,and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,025,080 on Jun. 1, 2021; which claimspriority to and benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/480,083 filed on Mar. 31, 2017; each of which is incorporated byreference herein its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Many portable electronic devices are powered by batteries. Rechargeablebatteries are often used to avoid the cost of replacing conventionaldry-cell batteries and to conserve precious resources. However,recharging batteries with conventional rechargeable battery chargersrequires access to an alternating current (AC) power outlet, which issometimes not available or not conveniently co-located. It would,therefore, be desirable to derive recharging battery power for a clientdevice battery from electromagnetic (EM) radiation.

Accordingly, a need exists for technology that overcomes the problemdemonstrated above, as well as one that provides additional benefits.The examples provided herein of some prior or related systems and theirassociated limitations are intended to be illustrative and notexclusive. Other limitations of existing or prior systems will becomeapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the followingDetailed Description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by wayof example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanyingdrawings, in which like references indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram including an example wireless powerdelivery environment illustrating wireless power delivery from one ormore wireless power transmission systems to various wireless deviceswithin the wireless power delivery environment in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a sequence diagram illustrating example operationsbetween a wireless power transmission system and a wireless receiverclient for commencing wireless power delivery in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of awireless power transmission system in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of awireless power receiver client in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict diagrams illustrating an example multipathwireless power delivery environment in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of adual-mode wireless power receiver client, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict state diagrams illustrating example states andtransition conditions of a dual-mode wireless power receiver client,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process forpassively harvesting energy to wake-up a dual-mode wireless powerreceiver client, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of adual-mode wireless power receiver client, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10A depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of adual-mode wireless power receiver client, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10B depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of peakdetector circuitry, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 11 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of adual-mode wireless power receiver client, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 12 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of arepresentative mobile device or tablet computer with a wireless powerreceiver or client in the form of a mobile (or smart) phone or tabletcomputer device, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 13 depicts a diagrammatic representation of a machine, in theexample form, of a computer system within which a set of instructions,for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not tobe construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described toprovide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certaininstances, well-known or conventional details are not described in orderto avoid obscuring the description. References to one or an embodimentin the present disclosure can be, but not necessarily are, references tothe same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one of theembodiments.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodimentsmutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features aredescribed which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirementsfor some embodiments but no other embodiments.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinarymeanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in thespecific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used todescribe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in thespecification, to provide additional guidance to the practitionerregarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certainterms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotationmarks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaningof a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the samecontext, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated thatsame thing can be said in more than one way.

Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any oneor more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significanceto be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussedherein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one ormore synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use ofexamples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any termsdiscussed herein, is illustrative only, and is not intended to furtherlimit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplifiedterm. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodimentsgiven in this specification.

Without intent to further limit the scope of the disclosure, examples ofinstruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. Note thattitles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of areader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unlessotherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein havethe same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in theart to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, thepresent document, including definitions, will control.

When a traditional wireless power receiver client's battery (or energystorage module) is very low or empty, the client cannot transmit abeacon signal to a wireless power transmission system in order toreceive directed (or isolated) wireless power for recharging.Consequently, the client is non-functional until plugged in, or untilplaced in a relatively high radio frequency (RF) energy field designedto charge the battery.

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, andapparatuses for reviving a wireless power receiver client over-the-air.More specifically, dual-mode active/passive wireless power receiverclients are described that can passively harvest RF energy in order toobtain enough energy to rejoin a wireless power network where the clientcan actively harvest RF energy (the client receives directed or isolatedwireless power from a wireless power transmission system). For example,a wireless power receiver client can harvest RF energy while idle oroff, e.g., when no beacon or other communications are being sent orreceived, or, in some instances, asynchronously in order to complimentand/or protect one or more elements of the system such as, for example aradio transceiver.

In some embodiments, the wireless power receiver client transitions toan ultra-low-power state where the client harvests ambient RF energy tocharge an energy storage device or unit such as, for example, a batteryor a capacitor. After a predetermined amount of energy, e.g., wake-upthreshold, is harvested, the wireless power receiver client can thenattempt to wake-up and establish communications with or join a wirelesspower network. If sufficient power is received from a wireless powertransmission system for maintaining an active (or an awake state), thenthe wireless power receiver client can continue normal operation.Otherwise, the wireless power receiver client returns to theultra-low-power state and continues to harvest ambient RF energy in apassive harvest mode. In some embodiments, the wake-up threshold valuemay be adjusted responsive to one or more successive failed wake-upattempts. For example, the threshold value may be dynamically increasedor incremented, e.g., a back-off timer, to reduce interference in areaswith several RF devices or to ensure sufficient energy is stored for alonger wake-up attempt.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram including an example wireless powerdelivery environment 100 illustrating wireless power delivery from oneor more wireless power transmission systems (WPTS) 101 a-n (alsoreferred to as “wireless power delivery systems”, “antenna arraysystems” and “wireless chargers”) to various wireless devices 102 a-nwithin the wireless power delivery environment 100, according to someembodiments. More specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates an example wirelesspower delivery environment 100 in which wireless power and/or data canbe delivered to available wireless devices 102 a-102 n having one ormore wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 n (also referred toherein as “clients” and “wireless power receivers”). The wireless powerreceiver clients are configured to receive and process wireless powerfrom one or more wireless power transmission systems 101 a-101 n.Components of an example wireless power receiver client 103 are shownand discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 4 .

As shown in the example of FIG. 1 , the wireless devices 102 a-102 ninclude mobile phone devices and a wireless game controller. However,the wireless devices 102 a-102 n can be any device or system that needspower and is capable of receiving wireless power via one or moreintegrated wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 n. As discussedherein, the one or more integrated wireless power receiver clientsreceive and process power from one or more wireless power transmissionsystems 101 a-101 n and provide the power to the wireless devices 102a-102 n (or internal batteries of the wireless devices) for operationthereof.

Each wireless power transmission system 101 can include multipleantennas 104 a-n, e.g., an antenna array including hundreds or thousandsof antennas, which are capable of delivering wireless power to wirelessdevices 102 a-102 n. In some embodiments, the antennas areadaptively-phased RF antennas. The wireless power transmission system101 is capable of determining the appropriate phases with which todeliver a coherent power transmission signal to the wireless powerreceiver clients 103 a-103 n. The array is configured to emit a signal(e.g., continuous wave or pulsed power transmission signal) frommultiple antennas at a specific phase relative to each other. It isappreciated that use of the term “array” does not necessarily limit theantenna array to any specific array structure. That is, the antennaarray does not need to be structured in a specific “array” form orgeometry. Furthermore, as used herein the term “array” or “array system”may include related and peripheral circuitry for signal generation,reception and transmission, such as radios, digital logic and modems. Insome embodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101 can have anembedded Wi-Fi hub for data communications via one or more antennas ortransceivers.

The wireless devices 102 can include one or more wireless power receiverclients 103. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 1 , power deliveryantennas 104 a-104 n are shown. The power delivery antennas 104 a areconfigured to provide delivery of wireless radio frequency power in thewireless power delivery environment. In some embodiments, one or more ofthe power delivery antennas 104 a-104 n can alternatively oradditionally be configured for data communications in addition to or inlieu of wireless power delivery. The one or more data communicationantennas are configured to send data communications to and receive datacommunications from the wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 nand/or the wireless devices 102 a-102 n. In some embodiments, the datacommunication antennas can communicate via Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee™,etc. Other data communication protocols are also possible.

Each wireless power receiver client 103 a-103 n includes one or moreantennas (not shown) for receiving signals from the wireless powertransmission systems 101 a-101 n. Likewise, each wireless powertransmission system 101 a-101 n includes an antenna array having one ormore antennas and/or sets of antennas capable of emitting continuouswave or discrete (pulse) signals at specific phases relative to eachother. As discussed above, each of the wireless power transmissionsystems 101 a-101 n is capable of determining the appropriate phases fordelivering the coherent signals to the wireless power receiver clients102 a-102 n. For example, in some embodiments, coherent signals can bedetermined by computing the complex conjugate of a received beacon (orcalibration) signal at each antenna of the array such that the coherentsignal is phased for delivering power to the particular wireless powerreceiver client that transmitted the beacon (or calibration) signal.

Although not illustrated, each component of the environment, e.g.,wireless device, wireless power transmission system, etc., can includecontrol and synchronization mechanisms, e.g., a data communicationsynchronization module. The wireless power transmission systems 101a-101 n can be connected to a power source such as, for example, a poweroutlet or source connecting the wireless power transmission systems to astandard or primary AC power supply in a building. Alternatively, oradditionally, one or more of the wireless power transmission systems 101a-101 n can be powered by a battery or via other mechanisms, e.g., solarcells, etc.

The wireless power receiver clients 102 a-102 n and/or the wirelesspower transmission systems 101 a-101 n are configured to operate in amultipath wireless power delivery environment. That is, the wirelesspower receiver clients 102 a-102 n and the wireless power transmissionsystems 101 a-101 n are configured to utilize reflective objects 106such as, for example, walls or other RF reflective obstructions withinrange to transmit beacon (or calibration) signals and/or receivewireless power and/or data within the wireless power deliveryenvironment. The reflective objects 106 can be utilized formulti-directional signal communication regardless of whether a blockingobject is in the line of sight between the wireless power transmissionsystem and the wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 n.

As described herein, each wireless device 102 a-102 n can be any systemand/or device, and/or any combination of devices/systems that canestablish a connection with another device, a server and/or othersystems within the example environment 100. In some embodiments, thewireless devices 102 a-102 n include displays or other outputfunctionalities to present data to a user and/or input functionalitiesto receive data from the user. By way of example, a wireless device 102can be, but is not limited to, a video game controller, a serverdesktop, a desktop computer, a computer cluster, a mobile computingdevice such as a notebook, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, amobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA, a Blackberry device, a Treo, and/oran iPhone, etc. By way of example and not limitation, the wirelessdevice 102 can also be any wearable device such as watches, necklaces,rings or even devices embedded on or within the customer. Other examplesof a wireless device 102 include, but are not limited to, safety sensors(e.g., fire or carbon monoxide), electric toothbrushes, electronic doorlock/handles, electric light switch controller, electric shavers, etc.

Although not illustrated in the example of FIG. 1 , the wireless powertransmission system 101 and the wireless power receiver clients 103a-103 n can each include a data communication module for communicationvia a data channel. Alternatively, or additionally, the wireless powerreceiver clients 103 a-103 n can direct the wireless devices 102 a-102 nto communicate with the wireless power transmission system via existingdata communications modules. In some embodiments, the beacon signal,which is primarily referred to herein as a continuous waveform, canalternatively or additionally take the form of a modulated signal.

FIG. 2 depicts a sequence diagram 200 illustrating example operationsbetween a wireless power delivery system (e.g., WPTS 101) and a wirelesspower receiver client (e.g., wireless power receiver client 103) forestablishing wireless power delivery in a multipath wireless powerdelivery, according to an embodiment. Initially, communication isestablished between the wireless power transmission system 101 and thepower receiver client 103. The initial communication can be, forexample, a data communication link that is established via one or moreantennas 104 of the wireless power transmission system 101. Asdiscussed, in some embodiments, one or more of the antennas 104 a-104 ncan be data antennas, wireless power transmission antennas, ordual-purpose data/power antennas. Various information can be exchangedbetween the wireless power transmission system 101 and the wirelesspower receiver client 103 over this data communication channel. Forexample, wireless power signaling can be time sliced among variousclients in a wireless power delivery environment. In such cases, thewireless power transmission system 101 can send beacon scheduleinformation, e.g., Beacon Beat Schedule (BBS) cycle, power cycleinformation, etc., so that the wireless power receiver client 103 knowswhen to transmit (broadcast) its beacon signals and when to listen forpower, etc.

Continuing with the example of FIG. 2 , the wireless power transmissionsystem 101 selects one or more wireless power receiver clients forreceiving power and sends the beacon schedule information to the selectwireless power receiver clients 103. The wireless power transmissionsystem 101 can also send power transmission scheduling information sothat the wireless power receiver client 103 knows when to expect (e.g.,a window of time) wireless power from the wireless power transmissionsystem. The wireless power receiver client 103 then generates a beacon(or calibration) signal and broadcasts the beacon during an assignedbeacon transmission window (or time slice) indicated by the beaconschedule information, e.g., BBS cycle. As discussed herein, the wirelesspower receiver client 103 includes one or more antennas (ortransceivers) which have a radiation and reception pattern inthree-dimensional space proximate to the wireless device 102 in whichthe wireless power receiver client 103 is embedded.

The wireless power transmission system 101 receives the beacon from thepower receiver client 103 and detects and/or otherwise measures thephase (or direction) from which the beacon signal is received atmultiple antennas. The wireless power transmission system 101 thendelivers wireless power to the power receiver client 103 from themultiple antennas 103 based on the detected or measured phase (ordirection) of the received beacon at each of the corresponding antennas.In some embodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101determines the complex conjugate of the measured phase of the beacon anduses the complex conjugate to determine a transmit phase that configuresthe antennas for delivering and/or otherwise directing wireless power tothe wireless power receiver client 103 via the same path over which thebeacon signal was received from the wireless power receiver client 103.

In some embodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101 includesmany antennas. One or more of the many antennas may be used to deliverpower to the power receiver client 103. The wireless power transmissionsystem 101 can detect and/or otherwise determine or measure phases atwhich the beacon signals are received at each antenna. The large numberof antennas may result in different phases of the beacon signal beingreceived at each antenna of the wireless power transmission system 101.As discussed above, the wireless power transmission system 101 candetermine the complex conjugate of the beacon signals received at eachantenna. Using the complex conjugates, one or more antennas may emit asignal that takes into account the effects of the large number ofantennas in the wireless power transmission system 101. In other words,the wireless power transmission system 101 can emit a wireless powertransmission signal from one or more antennas in such a way as to createan aggregate signal from the one or more of the antennas thatapproximately recreates the waveform of the beacon in the oppositedirection. Said another way, the wireless power transmission system 101can deliver wireless RF power to the wireless power receiver clients viathe same paths over which the beacon signal is received at the wirelesspower transmission system 101. These paths can utilize reflectiveobjects 106 within the environment. Additionally, the wireless powertransmission signals can be simultaneously transmitted from the wirelesspower transmission system 101 such that the wireless power transmissionsignals collectively match the antenna radiation and reception patternof the client device in a three-dimensional (3D) space proximate to theclient device.

As shown, the beacon (or calibration) signals can be periodicallytransmitted by wireless power receiver clients 103 within the powerdelivery environment according to, for example, the BBS, so that thewireless power transmission system 101 can maintain knowledge and/orotherwise track the location of the power receiver clients 103 in thewireless power delivery environment. The process of receiving beaconsignals from a wireless power receiver client 103 at the wireless powertransmission system and, in turn, responding with wireless powerdirected to that particular wireless power receiver client is referredto herein as retrodirective wireless power delivery.

Furthermore, as discussed herein, wireless power can be delivered inpower cycles defined by power schedule information. A more detailedexample of the signaling required to commence wireless power delivery isdescribed now with reference to FIG. 3 .

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of awireless power transmission system 300, in accordance with anembodiment. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 3 , the wirelesscharger 300 includes a master bus controller (MBC) board and multiplemezzanine boards that collectively comprise the antenna array. The MBCincludes control logic 310, an external data interface (I/F) 315, anexternal power interface (I/F) 320, a communication block 330 and proxy340. The mezzanine (or antenna array boards 350) each include multipleantennas 360 a-360 n. Some or all of the components can be omitted insome embodiments. Additional components are also possible. For example,in some embodiments only one of communication block 330 or proxy 340 maybe included.

The control logic 310 is configured to provide control and intelligenceto the array components. The control logic 310 may comprise one or moreprocessors, FPGAs, memory units, etc., and direct and control thevarious data and power communications. The communication block 330 candirect data communications on a data carrier frequency, such as the basesignal clock for clock synchronization. The data communications can beBluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee™, etc., including combinations or variationsthereof. Likewise, the proxy 340 can communicate with clients via datacommunications as discussed herein. The data communications can be, byway of example and not limitation, Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee™, etc.Other communication protocols are possible.

In some embodiments, the control logic 310 can also facilitate and/orotherwise enable data aggregation for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.In some embodiments, wireless power receiver clients can access, trackand/or otherwise obtain IoT information about the device in which thewireless power receiver client is embedded and provide that IoTinformation to the wireless power transmission system 300 over a dataconnection. This IoT information can be provided to via an external datainterface 315 to a central or cloud-based system (not shown) where thedata can be aggregated, processed, etc. For example, the central systemcan process the data to identify various trends across geographies,wireless power transmission systems, environments, devices, etc. In someembodiments, the aggregated data and or the trend data can be used toimprove operation of the devices via remote updates, etc. Alternatively,or additionally, in some embodiments, the aggregated data can beprovided to third party data consumers. In this manner, the wirelesspower transmission system acts as a Gateway or Enabler for the IoTdevices. By way of example and not limitation, the IoT information caninclude capabilities of the device in which the wireless power receiverclient is embedded, usage information of the device, power levels of thedevice, information obtained by the device or the wireless powerreceiver client itself, e.g., via sensors, etc.

The external power interface 320 is configured to receive external powerand provide the power to various components. In some embodiments, theexternal power interface 320 may be configured to receive a standardexternal 24 Volt power supply. In other embodiments, the external powerinterface 320 can be, for example, 120/240 Volt AC mains to an embeddedDC power supply which sources the required 12/24/48 Volt DC to providethe power to various components. Alternatively, the external powerinterface could be a DC supply which sources the required 12/24/48 VoltsDC. Alternative configurations are also possible.

In operation, the MBC, which controls the wireless power transmissionsystem 300, receives power from a power source and is activated. The MBCthen activates the proxy antenna elements on the wireless powertransmission system and the proxy antenna elements enter a default“discovery” mode to identify available wireless receiver clients withinrange of the wireless power transmission system. When a client is found,the antenna elements on the wireless power transmission system power on,enumerate, and (optionally) calibrate.

The MBC then generates beacon transmission scheduling information andpower transmission scheduling information during a scheduling process.The scheduling process includes selection of power receiver clients. Forexample, the MBC can select power receiver clients for powertransmission and generate a BBS cycle and a Power Schedule (PS) for theselected wireless power receiver clients. As discussed herein, the powerreceiver clients can be selected based on their corresponding propertiesand/or requirements.

In some embodiments, the MBC can also identify and/or otherwise selectavailable clients that will have their status queried in the ClientQuery Table (CQT). Clients that are placed in the CQT are those on“standby”, e.g., not receiving a charge. The BBS and PS are calculatedbased on vital information about the clients such as, for example,battery status, current activity/usage, how much longer the client hasuntil it runs out of power, priority in terms of usage, etc.

The Proxy Antenna Element (AE) broadcasts the BBS to all clients. Asdiscussed herein, the BBS indicates when each client should send abeacon. Likewise, the PS indicates when and to which clients the arrayshould send power to and when clients should listen for wireless power.Each client starts broadcasting its beacon and receiving power from thearray per the BBS and PS. The Proxy AE can concurrently query the ClientQuery Table to check the status of other available clients. In someembodiments, a client can only exist in the BBS or the CQT (e.g.,waitlist), but not in both. The information collected in the previousstep continuously and/or periodically updates the BBS cycle and/or thePS.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating example components of a wirelesspower receiver client 400, in accordance with some embodiments. Asillustrated in the example of FIG. 4 , the receiver 400 includes controllogic 410, battery 420, an IoT control module 425, communication block430 and associated antenna 470, power meter 440, rectifier 450, acombiner 455, beacon signal generator 460, beacon coding unit 462 and anassociated antenna 480, and switch 465 connecting the rectifier 450 orthe beacon signal generator 460 to one or more associated antennas 490a-n. Some or all of the components can be omitted in some embodiments.For example, in some embodiments, the wireless power receiver client 400does not include its own antennas but instead utilizes and/or otherwiseshares one or more antennas (e.g., Wi-Fi antenna) of the wireless devicein which the wireless power receiver client is embedded. Moreover, insome embodiments, the wireless power receiver client may include asingle antenna that provides data transmission functionality as well aspower/data reception functionality. Additional components are alsopossible.

A combiner 455 receives and combines the received power transmissionsignals from the power transmitter in the event that the receiver 400has more than one antenna. The combiner can be any combiner or dividercircuit that is configured to achieve isolation between the output portswhile maintaining a matched condition. For example, the combiner 455 canbe a Wilkinson Power Divider circuit. The rectifier 450 receives thecombined power transmission signal from the combiner 455, if present,which is fed through the power meter 440 to the battery 420 forcharging. In other embodiments, each antenna's power path can have itsown rectifier 450 and the DC power out of the rectifiers is combinedprior to feeding the power meter 440. The power meter 440 can measurethe received power signal strength and provides the control logic 410with this measurement.

Battery 420 can include protection circuitry and/or monitoringfunctions. Additionally, the battery 420 can include one or morefeatures, including, but not limited to, current limiting, temperatureprotection, over/under voltage alerts and protection, and coulombmonitoring.

The control logic 410 receives and processes the battery power levelfrom the battery 420 itself. The control logic 410 may alsotransmit/receive via the communication block 430 a data signal on a datacarrier frequency, such as the base signal clock for clocksynchronization. The beacon signal generator 460 generates the beaconsignal, or calibration signal, transmits the beacon signal using eitherthe antenna 480 or 490 after the beacon signal is encoded.

It may be noted that, although the battery 420 is shown as charged by,and providing power to, the wireless power receiver client 400, thereceiver may also receive its power directly from the rectifier 450.This may be in addition to the rectifier 450 providing charging currentto the battery 420, or in lieu of providing charging. Also, it may benoted that the use of multiple antennas is one example of implementationand the structure may be reduced to one shared antenna.

In some embodiments, the control logic 410 and/or the IoT control module425 can communicate with and/or otherwise derive IoT information fromthe device in which the wireless power receiver client 400 is embedded.Although not shown, in some embodiments, the wireless power receiverclient 400 can have one or more data connections (wired or wireless)with the device in which the wireless power receiver client 400 isembedded over which IoT information can be obtained. Alternatively, oradditionally, IoT information can be determined and/or inferred by thewireless power receiver client 400, e.g., via one or more sensors. Asdiscussed above, the IoT information can include, but is not limited to,information about the capabilities of the device in which the wirelesspower receiver client 400 is embedded, usage information of the devicein which the wireless power receiver client 400 is embedded, powerlevels of the battery or batteries of the device in which the wirelesspower receiver client 400 is embedded, and/or information obtained orinferred by the device in which the wireless power receiver client isembedded or the wireless power receiver client itself, e.g., viasensors, etc.

In some embodiments, a client identifier (ID) module 415 stores a clientID that can uniquely identify the wireless power receiver client 400 ina wireless power delivery environment. For example, the ID can betransmitted to one or more wireless power transmission systems whencommunication is established. In some embodiments, wireless powerreceiver clients may also be able to receive and identify other wirelesspower receiver clients in a wireless power delivery environment based onthe client ID.

An optional motion sensor 495 can detect motion and signal the controllogic 410 to act accordingly. For example, a device receiving power mayintegrate motion detection mechanisms such as accelerometers orequivalent mechanisms to detect motion. Once the device detects that itis in motion, it may be assumed that it is being handled by a user, andwould trigger a signal to the array to either to stop transmittingpower, or to lower the power transmitted to the device. In someembodiments, when a device is used in a moving environment like a car,train or plane, the power might only be transmitted intermittently or ata reduced level unless the device is critically low on power.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict diagrams illustrating an example multipathwireless power delivery environment 500, according to some embodiments.The multipath wireless power delivery environment 500 includes a useroperating a wireless device 502 including one or more wireless powerreceiver clients 503. The wireless device 502 and the one or morewireless power receiver clients 503 can be wireless device 102 of FIG. 1and wireless power receiver client 103 of FIG. 1 or wireless powerreceiver client 400 of FIG. 4 , respectively, although alternativeconfigurations are possible. Likewise, wireless power transmissionsystem 501 can be wireless power transmission system 101 of FIG. 1 orwireless power transmission system 300 of FIG. 3 , although alternativeconfigurations are possible. The multipath wireless power deliveryenvironment 500 includes reflective objects 506 and various absorptiveobjects, e.g., users, or humans, furniture, etc.

Wireless device 502 includes one or more antennas (or transceivers) thathave a radiation and reception pattern 510 in three-dimensional spaceproximate to the wireless device 502. The one or more antennas (ortransceivers) can be wholly or partially included as part of thewireless device 502 and/or the wireless power receiver client (notshown). For example, in some embodiments one or more antennas, e.g.,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. of the wireless device 502 can be utilized and/orotherwise shared for wireless power reception. As shown in the exampleof FIGS. 5A and 5B, the radiation and reception pattern 510 comprises alobe pattern with a primary lobe and multiple side lobes. Other patternsare also possible.

The wireless device 502 transmits a beacon (or calibration) signal overmultiple paths to the wireless power transmission system 501. Asdiscussed herein, the wireless device 502 transmits the beacon in thedirection of the radiation and reception pattern 510 such that thestrength of the received beacon signal by the wireless powertransmission system, e.g., received signal strength indication (RSSI),depends on the radiation and reception pattern 510. For example, beaconsignals are not transmitted where there are nulls in the radiation andreception pattern 510 and beacon signals are the strongest at the peaksin the radiation and reception pattern 510, e.g., peak of the primarylobe. As shown in the example of FIG. 5A, the wireless device 502transmits beacon signals over five paths P1-P5. Paths P4 and P5 areblocked by reflective and/or absorptive object 506. The wireless powertransmission system 501 receives beacon signals of increasing strengthsvia paths P1-P3. The bolder lines indicate stronger signals. In someembodiments, the beacon signals are directionally transmitted in thismanner, for example, to avoid unnecessary RF energy exposure to theuser.

A fundamental property of antennas is that the receiving pattern(sensitivity as a function of direction) of an antenna when used forreceiving is identical to the far-field radiation pattern of the antennawhen used for transmitting. This is a consequence of the reciprocitytheorem in electromagnetism. As shown in the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B,the radiation and reception pattern 510 is a three-dimensional lobeshape. However, the radiation and reception pattern 510 can be anynumber of shapes depending on the type or types, e.g., horn antennas,simple vertical antenna, etc. used in the antenna design. For example,the radiation and reception pattern 510 can comprise various directivepatterns. Any number of different antenna radiation and receptionpatterns are possible for each of multiple client devices in a wirelesspower delivery environment.

Referring again to FIG. 5A, the wireless power transmission system 501receives the beacon (or calibration) signal via multiple paths P1-P3 atmultiple antennas or transceivers. As shown, paths P2 and P3 are directline of sight paths while path P1 is a non-line of sight path. Once thebeacon (or calibration) signal is received by the wireless powertransmission system 501, the power transmission system 501 processes thebeacon (or calibration) signal to determine one or more receivecharacteristics of the beacon signal at each of the multiple antennas.For example, among other operations, the wireless power transmissionsystem 501 can measure the phases at which the beacon signal is receivedat each of the multiple antennas or transceivers.

The wireless power transmission system 501 processes the one or morereceive characteristics of the beacon signal at each of the multipleantennas to determine or measure one or more wireless power transmitcharacteristics for each of the multiple RF transceivers based on theone or more receive characteristics of the beacon (or calibration)signal as measured at the corresponding antenna or transceiver. By wayof example and not limitation, the wireless power transmitcharacteristics can include phase settings for each antenna ortransceiver, transmission power settings, etc.

As discussed herein, the wireless power transmission system 501determines the wireless power transmit characteristics such that, oncethe antennas or transceivers are configured, the multiple antennas ortransceivers are operable to transmit a wireless power signal thatmatches the client radiation and reception pattern in thethree-dimensional space proximate to the client device. FIG. 5Billustrates the wireless power transmission system 501 transmittingwireless power via paths P1-P3 to the wireless device 502.Advantageously, as discussed herein, the wireless power signal matchesthe client radiation and reception pattern 510 in the three-dimensionalspace proximate to the client device. Said another way, the wirelesspower transmission system will transmit the wireless power signals inthe direction in which the wireless power receiver has maximum gain,e.g., will receive the most wireless power. As a result, no signals aresent in directions in which the wireless power receiver cannot receivepower, e.g., nulls and blockages. In some embodiments, the wirelesspower transmission system 501 measures the RSSI of the received beaconsignal and if the beacon is less than a threshold value, the wirelesspower transmission system will not send wireless power over that path.

The three paths shown in the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B are illustratedfor simplicity, it is appreciated that any number of paths can beutilized for transmitting power to the wireless device 502 depending on,among other factors, reflective and absorptive objects in the wirelesspower delivery environment. Although the example of FIG. 5A illustratestransmitting a beacon (or calibration) signal in the direction of theradiation and reception pattern 510, it is appreciated that, in someembodiments, beacon signals can alternatively or additionally beomni-directionally transmitted.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of adual-mode wireless power receiver client, according to some embodiments.More specifically, the dual-mode wireless power receiver client 600 isadapted to use passive energy-harvesting techniques in parallel withactive energy-harvesting techniques. In some embodiments, the dual-modewireless power receiver client 600 can switch to a low-power (orpassive) energy-harvesting mode when it is not using the antenna 605,e.g., not receiving Cota® RF power or sending or receivingcommunications. As shown in the example of FIG. 6 , the dual-modewireless power receiver client 600 includes antenna 605, switch 610, anactive energy harvesting component 620, a passive energy harvestingcomponent 630, control circuitry 640, and an energy storage unit (orbattery) 650. Additional of fewer components are possible.

The active energy harvesting component 620 is adapted to receivedirected (or isolated) RF energy from a wireless power transmissionsystem, convert the RF energy to direct current (DC) power, and storethe DC power in the energy storage device 650. In some embodiments, theactive energy harvesting component 620 includes some or all of thecomponents of (or may be) a discrete wireless power receiver client suchas, for example, wireless power receiver client 400 of FIG. 4 . Inoperation, the active energy harvesting component 620 directs theantenna 605 to establish a connection with a wireless power transmissionsystem. Once the connection is established and communications commenced,the active energy harvesting component 620 transmits a beacon signal tothe wireless power transmission system and, responsive to the beaconsignal, receives directed or isolated wireless power from the wirelesspower transmission system via one or more paths. The received wirelesspower is processed, e.g., RF power is converted to DC, and stored in theenergy storage device 650.

The passive energy harvesting component 630 is adapted to harvestpassive RF energy, convert the energy to DC power, and store the DCpower in the energy storage device 650. As discussed herein, the passiveenergy harvesting component 630 harvests ambient RF energy (e.g., Wi-Fi,cellular, etc.) to trickle charge the energy storage device 650 withminimal or no power usage.

The control (or switching) circuitry 640 monitors and controls switch610 via a switch control line 645 to enable the active energy harvestingcomponent 620 or the passive harvesting component 620. In someembodiments, the active energy harvesting component provides stateinformation 625 that can be used by the control circuitry 640. The stateinformation 625 can include, but is not limited to, information aboutwhen the active energy harvesting component 620 is active (e.g.,transmitting or receiving) or idle. In some embodiments, the controlcircuitry 640 uses this information and/or information regarding thestate of the energy storage device 650 (e.g., current power level,charge rate, etc.) to determine a state of the dual-mode wireless powerreceiver client 600 and/or a corresponding harvest mode. Examplesdescribing the various states and/or modes enabled in those states areshown and discussed in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B.

The energy storage device 650 can be any device or group of devices ormodules capable of storing energy. For example, the energy storagedevice 650 can include one or more batteries, capacitors, etc. In someembodiments, the energy storage device 650 can include an internal powermonitor or other tracking circuitry. Alternatively or additionally, thecontrol circuitry 640 may perform some or all of these functions.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict state diagrams 700A and 700B, respectively,illustrating example states and transition conditions of a dual-modewireless power receiver client, according to some embodiments. Thedual-mode wireless power receiver client may be dual-mode wireless powerreceiver client 600 of FIG. 6 , although alternative configurations arepossible.

Referring first to the example of FIG. 7A, in an ‘active state’ 710 thedual-mode wireless power receiver client is in an active harvest mode.In the active harvest mode, the dual-mode wireless power receiver clientcommunicates with a wireless power transmission system by sending beaconsignals and responsively receiving directed wireless RF power (asdiscussed herein). The dual-mode wireless power receiver clienttransitions from the ‘active state’ 710 to the ‘idle state’ 720 when anidle condition 712 is detected. In some embodiments, the idle condition712 can be an indication that the active energy harvesting component 620is currently idle (e.g., not transmitting beacons or receiving directedwireless power from the wireless power transmission system).

As shown in the example of FIG. 7A, in the ‘idle state’ 720, thedual-mode wireless power receiver client remains in the active harvestmode. However, in some embodiments, and as shown in the example of FIG.7B, the dual-mode wireless power receiver client can enter a passiveharvest mode in ‘idle state’ 720. In response to an active condition 712(e.g., imminent transmission or reception), the dual-mode wireless powerreceiver client returns to the ‘active’ state 710. In response to a lowpower indicator condition 724, the dual-mode wireless power receiverclient transitions to a ‘low-power’ state 730.

In the ‘low power’ state 730, the dual-mode wireless power receiverclient transitions to an ultra-low power passive harvest mode. In someembodiments, during the passive harvest mode, the dual-mode wirelesspower receiver client disables the active energy harvesting componentand enables the passive energy harvesting component. The dual-modewireless power receiver client can monitor a power level during the ‘lowpower’ state. After a predetermined amount of energy, e.g., wake-upthreshold, is harvested, a wake-up indicator 732 can transition thedual-mode wireless power receiver client from the ‘low power’ state 730back to an ‘idle’ state 720.

The wireless power receiver client attempts to wake-up and establishcommunications with or join a wireless power network. If sufficientpower is received from a wireless power transmission system formaintaining an active (or an awake state e.g., ‘active’ state 710 and/or‘idle’ state 720), then the wireless power receiver client can continuenormal operation. Otherwise, the wireless power receiver client returnsto the ‘low-power’ state 730 and continues to harvest ambient RF energyin a passive harvest mode. In some embodiments, the wake-up thresholdmay be adjusted responsive to one or more successive failed wake-upattempts. For example, the threshold value may be dynamically increasedor incremented, e.g., a back-off timer, to reduce interference in areaswith several RF devices or to ensure sufficient energy is stored for alonger wake-up attempt.

FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process 800 forpassively harvesting energy to wake-up a dual-mode wireless powerreceiver client, according to some embodiments. A dual-mode wirelesspower receiver client can, among other functions, perform thecorresponding steps of example process 800. The dual-mode wireless powerreceiver client can be dual-mode wireless power receiver client 600 ofFIG. 6 , although alternative configurations are possible.

To begin, at step 801, the dual-mode wireless power receiver clientmonitors a power (or energy) level of a dual-mode wireless powerreceiver client, e.g., of an energy storage device. A decision step 803,the dual-mode wireless power receiver client determines if a power levelof an energy storage device of the dual-mode wireless power receiverclient is less than an active power threshold value. If not, themonitoring continues at step 801. Otherwise, at step 805, the dual-modewireless power receiver client transitions to a ‘low-power’ state and,at step 807, harvest and stores ambient RF energy.

At decision 809, the dual-mode wireless power receiver client determinesif the power level of the energy storage device exceeds a wake-up powerthreshold. If not, the dual-mode wireless power receiver clientcontinues harvesting ambient RF energy. Otherwise, at step 811, thedual-mode wireless power receiver client, responsive to the power levelof the energy storage device exceeding a wake-up power threshold,attempts to wake-up from the low-power state and, lastly, at step 813,harvests and stores directed RF energy as discussed herein.

FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of adual-mode wireless power receiver client 900, according to someembodiments. More specifically, the dual-mode wireless power receiverclient 900 is adapted to utilize a combined passive/activeenergy-harvesting technique, e.g., a discrete circuit capable ofhandling both passive energy harvesting and active energy harvesting. Asshown in the example of FIG. 9 , the dual-mode wireless power receiverclient 900 includes an active/passive energy harvesting component 920,control circuitry 940, and an energy storage device 950. Antenna 905 mayalso be a component of the dual-mode wireless power receiver client 900.

As noted above, the dual-mode wireless power receiver client 900includes combined passive/active energy harvesting techniques.Advantageously, combined circuitry (e.g., reused rectifier circuitry) asshown and discussed in FIGS. 10 and 11 can reduce the overall footprintof the device (or circuitry) but can be more complex. The dual-modewireless power receiver clients 1000 and 1100 of FIGS. 10 and 11 ,respectively, show and discuss various example designs in greater detailbelow.

FIG. 10A depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of adual-mode wireless power receiver client 1000, according to someembodiments. As shown in the example of FIG. 10A, the dual-mode wirelesspower receiver client 1000 includes peak detector circuitry 1060,control circuitry 1070, switch 1010, rectifier circuitry 1020, radio(with threshold logic) 1030, and energy storage device 1050. Antenna1005 may also be a component of the dual-mode wireless power receiverclient 1000.

The example of FIG. 10A is similar to the example of FIG. 9 but includespeak detector circuitry 1060 operable to detect presence of a radiofrequency (RF) field and bias a switch 1010 (e.g., RF switch) to connectto rectifier circuitry 1020 when RF input power (from a wireless powertransmission system) is coming into the antenna 1005. Additionally, therectifier circuitry 1020 protects the radio 1030 when high RF inputpower is incoming by ensuring that the voltages that the radio isexposed to stay within a safe range.

FIG. 10B depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of peakdetector circuitry 1060 of FIG. 10A, according to some embodiments. Asshown in the example of FIG. 10B, in some embodiments, the rectifiercircuit can be a multi-stage rectifier to increase sensitivity, and thecomparator circuit compares with an internal voltage reference.Additional or fewer components are possible.

FIG. 11 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of adual-mode wireless power receiver client 1100, according to someembodiments. As shown in the example of FIG. 11 , the dual-mode wirelesspower receiver client 1100 illustrates an example where the rectifiercircuitry 1120 can be directly connected to radio 1130. Controlcircuitry 1040 operates to control the radio and the rectifier circuitryvia control 1145 and energy storage device 1050 stores the DC power.Antenna 1105 may also be a component of the dual-mode wireless powerreceiver client 1100.

As noted above, in the example of FIG. 11 , the rectifier circuitry 1120can be connected directly to the radio 1130. The rectifier circuitry1120 protects the radio 1130 when high RF input power is incoming byensuring that the voltages that the radio is exposed to stay within asafe range (not significantly below 0V or greater than Vcc). Vcc canvary depending on the stored energy state. When the radio is active, therectifier circuitry's 1120 impedance can be increased by opening aswitch in series with one or more diode elements, and/or connecting arelatively high voltage to the output of the rectifier to increase theinput voltage needed for conduction to a level higher than the radioamplifier sources. This will ensure that the diode operates in a linearrange while the radio is active, reducing distortion on the received ortransmitted RF signal. The matching components M can provide fixed ortunable matching. Advantageously, this design utilizes fewer componentsto accomplish the dual-mode wireless power receiver client.

FIG. 12 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of arepresentative mobile device or tablet computer 1200 with a wirelesspower receiver or client in the form of a mobile (or smart) phone ortablet computer device, according to an embodiment. Various interfacesand modules are shown with reference to FIG. 12 , however, the mobiledevice or tablet computer does not require all of modules or functionsfor performing the functionality described herein. It is appreciatedthat, in many embodiments, various components are not included and/ornecessary for operation of the category controller. For example,components such as GPS radios, cellular radios, and accelerometers maynot be included in the controllers to reduce costs and/or complexity.Additionally, components such as ZigBee radios and RFID transceivers,along with antennas, can populate the Printed Circuit Board.

The wireless power receiver client can be a power receiver client 103 ofFIG. 1 , although alternative configurations are possible. Additionally,the wireless power receiver client can include one or more RF antennasfor reception of power and/or data signals from a charger, e.g., charger101 of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 13 depicts a diagrammatic representation of a machine, in theexample form, of a computer system within which a set of instructions,for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

In the example of FIG. 13 , the computer system includes a processor,memory, non-volatile memory, and an interface device. Various commoncomponents (e.g., cache memory) are omitted for illustrative simplicity.The computer system 1300 is intended to illustrate a hardware device onwhich any of the components depicted in the example of FIG. 1 (and anyother components described in this specification) can be implemented.For example, the computer system can be any radiating object or antennaarray system. The computer system can be of any applicable known orconvenient type. The components of the computer system can be coupledtogether via a bus or through some other known or convenient device.

The processor may be, for example, a conventional microprocessor such asan Intel Pentium microprocessor or Motorola power PC microprocessor. Oneof skill in the relevant art will recognize that the terms“machine-readable (storage) medium” or “computer-readable (storage)medium” include any type of device that is accessible by the processor.

The memory is coupled to the processor by, for example, a bus. Thememory can include, by way of example but not limitation, random accessmemory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM). Thememory can be local, remote, or distributed.

The bus also couples the processor to the non-volatile memory and driveunit. The non-volatile memory is often a magnetic floppy or hard disk, amagnetic-optical disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), suchas a CD-ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM, a magnetic or optical card, or anotherform of storage for large amounts of data. Some of this data is oftenwritten, by a direct memory access process, into memory during executionof software in the computer 1300. The non-volatile storage can be local,remote, or distributed. The non-volatile memory is optional becausesystems can be created with all applicable data available in memory. Atypical computer system will usually include at least a processor,memory, and a device (e.g., a bus) coupling the memory to the processor.

Software is typically stored in the non-volatile memory and/or the driveunit. Indeed, for large programs, it may not even be possible to storethe entire program in the memory. Nevertheless, it should be understoodthat for software to run, if necessary, it is moved to a computerreadable location appropriate for processing, and for illustrativepurposes, that location is referred to as the memory in this paper. Evenwhen software is moved to the memory for execution, the processor willtypically make use of hardware registers to store values associated withthe software, and local cache that, ideally, serves to speed upexecution. As used herein, a software program is assumed to be stored atany known or convenient location (from non-volatile storage to hardwareregisters) when the software program is referred to as “implemented in acomputer-readable medium”. A processor is considered to be “configuredto execute a program” when at least one value associated with theprogram is stored in a register readable by the processor.

The bus also couples the processor to the network interface device. Theinterface can include one or more of a modem or network interface. Itwill be appreciated that a modem or network interface can be consideredto be part of the computer system. The interface can include an analogmodem, isdn modem, cable modem, token ring interface, satellitetransmission interface (e.g. “direct PC”), or other interfaces forcoupling a computer system to other computer systems. The interface caninclude one or more input and/or output devices. The I/O devices caninclude, by way of example but not limitation, a keyboard, a mouse orother pointing device, disk drives, printers, a scanner, and other inputand/or output devices, including a display device. The display devicecan include, by way of example but not limitation, a cathode ray tube(CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), or some other applicable known orconvenient display device. For simplicity, it is assumed thatcontrollers of any devices not depicted in the example of FIG. 13 residein the interface.

In operation, the computer system 1300 can be controlled by operatingsystem software that includes a file management system, such as a diskoperating system. One example of operating system software withassociated file management system software is the family of operatingsystems known as Windows® from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.,and their associated file management systems. Another example ofoperating system software with its associated file management systemsoftware is the Linux operating system and its associated filemanagement system. The file management system is typically stored in thenon-volatile memory and/or drive unit and causes the processor toexecute the various acts required by the operating system to input andoutput data and to store data in the memory, including storing files onthe non-volatile memory and/or drive unit.

Some portions of the detailed description may be presented in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to adesired result. The operations are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwisemanipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasonsof common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or“calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to theaction and processes of a computer system, or similar electroniccomputing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented asphysical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registersand memories into other data similarly represented as physicalquantities within the computer system memories or registers or othersuch information storage, transmission or display devices.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purposesystems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specializedapparatus to perform the methods of some embodiments. The requiredstructure for a variety of these systems will appear from thedescription below. In addition, the techniques are not described withreference to any particular programming language, and variousembodiments may thus be implemented using a variety of programminglanguages.

In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in a client-server network environment or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may be a server computer, a client computer, a personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, an iPhone, aBlackberry, a processor, a telephone, a web appliance, a network router,switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set ofinstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine.

While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable storage medium isshown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encodingor carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of thepresently disclosed technique and innovation.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of thedisclosure, may be implemented as part of an operating system or aspecific application, component, program, object, module or sequence ofinstructions referred to as “computer programs.” The computer programstypically comprise one or more instructions set at various times invarious memory and storage devices in a computer, and that, when readand executed by one or more processing units or processors in acomputer, cause the computer to perform operations to execute elementsinvolving the various aspects of the disclosure.

Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the context of fullyfunctioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that thedisclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of machineor computer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution.

Further examples of machine-readable storage media, machine-readablemedia, or computer-readable (storage) media include but are not limitedto recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memorydevices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, opticaldisks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital VersatileDisks, (DVDs), etc.), among others, and transmission type media such asdigital and analog communication links.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,”“coupled,” or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling,either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling ofconnection between the elements can be physical, logical, or acombination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,”and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall referto this application as a whole and not to any particular portions ofthis application. Where the context permits, words in the above DetailedDescription using the singular or plural number may also include theplural or singular number respectively. The word “or,” in reference to alist of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretationsof the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list,and any combination of the items in the list.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the teachings to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, thedisclosure are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of thedisclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Forexample, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order,alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or employsystems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes orblocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/ormodified to provide alternative or subcombinations. Each of theseprocesses or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways.Also, while processes or blocks are, at times, shown as being performedin a series, these processes or blocks may instead be performed inparallel, or may be performed at different times. Further, any specificnumbers noted herein are only examples: alternative implementations mayemploy differing values or ranges.

The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements andacts of the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments.

Any patents and applications and other references noted above, includingany that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporatedherein by reference. Aspects of the disclosure can be modified, ifnecessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the variousreferences described above to provide yet further embodiments of thedisclosure.

These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in light of theabove Detailed Description. While the above description describescertain embodiments of the disclosure, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theteachings can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may varyconsiderably in its implementation details, while still beingencompassed by the subject matter disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the disclosure should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the disclosure with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but alsoall equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosure underthe claims.

While certain aspects of the disclosure are presented below in certainclaim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of thedisclosure in any number of claim forms. For example, while only oneaspect of the disclosure is recited as a means-plus-function claim under35 U.S.C. § 112(f), other aspects may likewise be embodied as ameans-plus-function claim, or in other forms, such as being embodied ina computer-readable medium. (Any claims intended to be treated under 35U.S.C. § 112(f) will begin with the words “means for”.) Accordingly, theapplicant reserves the right to add additional claims after filing theapplication to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects ofthe disclosure.

The detailed description provided herein may be applied to othersystems, not necessarily only the system described above. The elementsand acts of the various examples described above can be combined toprovide further implementations of the invention. Some alternativeimplementations of the invention may include not only additionalelements to those implementations noted above, but also may includefewer elements. These and other changes can be made to the invention inlight of the above Detailed Description. While the above descriptiondefines certain examples of the invention, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theinvention can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may varyconsiderably in its specific implementation, while still beingencompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the invention to the specific examplesdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe invention encompasses not only the disclosed examples, but also allequivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining whether or not aradio frequency (RF) field at an antenna meets an ambient threshold in awireless power delivery environment; and for determining that the RFfield meets the ambient threshold, receiving wireless power from awireless power source in the wireless power delivery environment; or fordetermining that the RF field is below the ambient threshold, harvestingambient energy from the wireless power delivery environment.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein for determining that the RF field is belowthe ambient threshold, the method further comprises attempting toestablish communication with the wireless power source for receipt ofwireless power therefrom after a predetermined amount of the ambientenergy is harvested from the wireless power delivery environment.
 3. Themethod of claim 2 further comprising determining that the RF field failsto meet the ambient threshold and, in response, continuing to harvestthe ambient energy from the wireless power delivery environment.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising transducing RF energy from thereceiving, or the harvesting, to an electric current for transmission toan energy storage device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein fordetermining that the RF field is below the ambient threshold, the methodfurther comprises trickle charging an energy storage device coupled tothe means for harvesting.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theharvesting comprises transducing ambient RF energy from at least one ofWi-Fi and cellular RF signals in the wireless power deliveryenvironment.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting theRF field at the antenna.
 8. The method of claim 1 further comprisingtransmitting an electric current generated by the receiving, or by theharvesting, to at least one of an energy storage device and anelectronic device.
 9. One or more non-transitory computer readable mediahaving stored thereon program instructions which, when executed by aprocessing system of a machine, cause the machine to: determine whetheror not a radio frequency (RF) field at an antenna meets an ambientthreshold in a wireless power delivery environment; and receive wirelesspower from a wireless power source in the wireless power deliveryenvironment when the RF field is determined to meet the ambientthreshold; and harvest ambient energy from the wireless power deliveryenvironment when the RF is determined to be below the ambient threshold.10. A system comprising: means for determining whether or not a radiofrequency (RF) field at an antenna meets an ambient threshold in awireless power delivery environment; means for receiving wireless powerfrom a wireless power source in the wireless power delivery environmentwhen the RF field meets or exceeds the ambient threshold; and means forharvesting ambient energy from the wireless power delivery environmentwhen the RF field is below the ambient threshold.
 11. The system ofclaim 10 further comprising means for detecting the RF field at theantenna, wherein the means for detecting is coupled to the means fordetermining.
 12. The system of claim 11 further comprising the antennacoupled to the means for detecting.
 13. The system of claim 10, whereinthe means for harvesting is configured to transduce ambient RF energyfrom the wireless power delivery environment to an electric current fortransmission to an energy storage device.
 14. The system of claim 13further comprising the energy storage device coupled to the means forharvesting.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of: theenergy storage device includes at least one of a battery and acapacitor; and the energy storage device includes protection circuitry.16. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is collocated, orassociated, with an electronic device, and wherein at least one of themeans for receiving and the means for harvesting is coupled to at leasta portion of the electronic device for transmission of an electriccurrent thereto.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the electronicdevice is, or includes, one of: a server desktop, a desktop computer, acomputer cluster, a mobile computing device, a laptop computer, ahandheld computer, a mobile phone, and smart phone, a video gamecontroller, a safety sensor, an electric toothbrush, an electronic doorlock, an electronic door handle, an electric light switch controller,and an electric shaver, a wearable device, and a device embedded on orwithin a person.
 18. The system of claim 10, wherein the means forreceiving is configured to transduce RF energy from an RF wireless powersignal received from the wireless power source to an electric currentfor transmission to an energy storage device.
 19. The system of claim 18further comprising the energy storage device coupled to the means forreceiving.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of: theenergy storage device includes at least one of a battery and acapacitor; and the energy storage device includes protection circuitry.21. The system of claim 10 further comprising a rectifier coupled to atleast one of the means for receiving and the means for harvesting toconvert an alternating current to a direct current for transmission toan energy storage device.